Defining the problem

That's what I've been trying to do for 3.5 years now- define the problem and fix it. I feel like I'm getting closer, but nowhere near hope of being healthy. Here are the things I can't tolerate right now and theories as to why.

Just to clarify- I don't have GI issues anymore. Any residual issues have cleared up since starting SCD. In fact, some days I try to have a little more fiber to help things along now, if you're picking up what I'm laying down... never really bothered me too much GI-wise, but it is still nice to not have the occasional issues!

On with the list:

1. Nuts

Have tried these a few times since they are such a staple on the SCD. No dice. Tried soaking and dehydrating. Same story. Like I alluded to in my previous post, almonds in super small amounts make me so tired I can barely stand it. I read this page on the Celiac Sprue Association website. It seems pretty well-established that Celiacs have problems with yeast and mold.

No flippin' kidding. It was good to see this in print from a relatively reliable source. Now the big question is how to fix the problem.

2. Eggs

This one hurts. Another SCD staple. Had been without them for a few weeks and I guess was feeling brave one day. I get pastured chicken from a local producer, and I also got my eggs from them. Didn't seem to go too bad at first. Soon after, they experienced a shortage of their regular eggs and the only ones I could get were soy-free.

So basically what that means, and what was confirmed with the chicken people last week, is that the soy-free feed contains more oats and maybe even wheat. Super fail. I had thought of this, but tried to ignore it. I don't know why I do that, my intentional ignorance only ends up hurting me in the end!!

Anyway, maybe sometime I will see if I can find eggs with GF feed. Seems crazy, but would be interesting since soooo many of us have issues with eggs. Would also be more careful with starting with small amounts of yolk and moving up from there.

3. Cheese, vinegar, and alcohol

Basically, same idea as the whole mold/yeast thing. I have known for quite awhile that these products caused severe reactions. I was always trying to figure out if it was actually gluten, or just a reaction to the food itself.

When I came across this article, I found it very interesting!! To oversimplify, there are amino acid sequences in the cell wall of candida albicans that correlate to sequences in gliadin protein. Hence, the authors postulate that there could be a relationship between candida and Celiac. They, of course, suggest further exploration of this topic, but I can't find anything more recent than the article published in 2003.

I feel like I could have a lot more to say on this topic, but I don't want to go on and on about something I have very little evidence to prove. It sounds like I have classic candida-type symptoms. Severe fatigue, flushing, worse brain fog, skin rash, intense hunger, headaches, memory issues, etc. All are worse with yeasty or moldy foods. Fail.

4. Nightshades

Not all nightshades are SCD legal. But even the legal ones I'm not doing. I would feel horrible after eating potatoes (heart pounding, dizzy, esophageal spasm, other various weird stuff), I also was repulsed by the thought of tomatoes (esp. raw) when I used to like them. Trusting the body on this one. Never ate eggplant anyway.

I do still use spices derived from peppers. I FINALLY found some spices I at least seem to tolerate. Great place, not bad prices if you order enough to get free shipping. Not the most convenient, but I love their spice blends. Try some poultry seasoning blend rubbed under the skin of a chicken in the Crock Pot, stuff it with some onions and an orange. I also use a lot of the fish grill and broil on some cheap-o tilapia. Yum!!


Ok, now the big questions are: how long can I maintain my diet without these SCD-legal options? And possibly having to cut out tea and coffee in the middle of the butt-freezing winter?! I don't know. I've only recently started craving "normal" food again, and it's getting more depressing to fight every day. It's not an issue of willpower, more of attitude. I'm going to be a very chilly grouch without my morning decaf. Maybe we'll start that part next week... Might have to try to cope with some hot water in the AM.

I've read that caffeine and certain substances in tea and coffee kill off good bacteria and promotes candida. Extra Fail.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Long overdue update

SCD since November 1st, have tried a few things on and off. Here is my current list:

NO:

• nightshades (except in spices)
• eggs (even free-range, organic feed, not GF feed though... has some oats, possibly wheat)
• nuts (had a bite of soaked, dehydrated almonds on Thursday, promptly took a 2-hour nap)
  
• vinegar
• cheese
• alcohol
  

WITH:

• tea (as of this week, from the girl who roasts my coffee)
  
• coffee (mostly decaf now, but I'm afraid she may have accidentally given me full caff this week... crazy hungry and felt weird for past 3 days!)

Sooo... the big question is.... am I getting anywhere?

Yes and no. Modest ups, somewhat less dramatic downs. Some days I have hope. Some days, I feel like I've been hanging out so much at Square One that I should consider redecorating.

I've identified issues beyond the simple flora imbalance. Well, it all obviously relates, but I have a serious mold/yeast issues that I only recently identified more clearly. Getting my bacterial flora back in balance will only help get that back in balance.

Still working on figuring out exactly how to "break the vicious cycle" since almost 2 months trying to do SCD and slowly introduce SCD-legal stuff hasn't really done a whole stinkin' lot. (and I realize it will take time, thank you very much for the reminder)

So many things to talk about... things I want to cover here over the next few weeks:

• Foods/things I can't tolerate, and theories/info as to why
• Probiotics (product choice is confusing as heck, even from a pharmacist's perspective)
• Things I actually can eat!
• Coping with having NO TIME to do anything but work and cook (hence, poor blogging follow-up skills)
• Any new or interesting connections/information/articles I happen to find

Apology for the multiple uses of parentheses. (I seem to like adding comments as afterthoughts)

Here's to moving forward! Maybe I'll even get funky and try adding some pictures to liven things up a bit :)

A New Approach

I thought that I had read just about everything about Celiac Disease. What I didn't know was that my health problems went beyond our Western medicine knowledge of CD. Well, I guess you could say that I did know that deep down, but I didn't know where to even start with that dilemma.

I finally decided to start looking into more "alternative" answers to my symptoms, since the gluten-free thing just wasn't cutting it. The more research I did, the more different aspects of my symptoms seemed to make sense.

The first issue I looked into was Candida. I only knew of it in the context of severe infections, sepsis, etc., or the ever-popular vaginal infection. I know how to treat that. Makes sense to my drug-oriented mind. The remedies, though, seemed pretty far out. No one would tell you exactly what was in the "Super Duper Awesome Candida Remedy" for 3 easy payments of $49.95... not only am I a cheapskate, but also a cheapskate pharmacist who will never take anything she doesn't know what it is and how it works. So that option was out, but I also know there had to be something more.

Enter the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I started looking into this after being on a probiotic that seemed to help but certainly wasn't the entire answer (saccharomyces boulardii). Pretty extensively researched and published, I might add, especially for an OTC supplement. Sweet.

Anyway, the SCD. Much of this made sense. I was, however, quite concerned that the most recent study cited in Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle (the "revised" version) was from 1992. I know I'm in a vicious cycle, that much is obvious!! But I kept thinking... there has got to be more we have learned in that timeframe... in fact, some of the most robust and widely accepted data on the benefits of probiotics have been published since then. Not sure what to think at this point, but open to trying just about anything. How much more restrictive can it be beyond what I'm already doing?!

During this time is when I also figured out the nightshade problem. Ugh, don't get me started on how I tried to avoid this conclusion for a looooong time. The thought of trying SCD AND no nightshades?? Crazy.

I happened upon a website that discussed the GAPS diet (Gut And Psychology Syndrome). It is basically SCD on steroids. (Or not on steroids, since it may help with IBD... heh heh heh...)

It was developed by an actual MD, Natasha Campbell McBride to help with her son's autism. makes sense similar to SCD. Actually, it is almost hard to distinguish it from SCD. It is somewhat more modern of a program. So basically it is what I was looking for, someone took the SCD and continued running with it.

The issue with GAPS are some of the things it wants you to do on the intro diet, like raw egg yolks. I'm sorry, but I just can't do that. Not to mention that I wasn't able to tolerate eggs a few weeks ago. Maybe someday, I will try eggs again...

SO: what am I not eating now?? Gluten free, grain free, soy free, legume free, nightshade free, dairy free (except for homemade SCD yogurt), sugar free, egg free, nut free.

SO: what am I actually eating?? Today, I had yogurt and pomegranate, coffee with honey, chicken and cabbage soup, beef roast with carrots, tilapia with zucchini noodle pesto (and parm... still waiting on the verdict for that one...), and apple cider.

Sounds like a lot of work, huh? It has been. This is only my second week doing my version of SCD/GAPS. But honestly, it is not much harder than the great lengths I was going to before. Now, I'm just hoping I have something to show for it and start healing!!

I'm committed for a month. Probably not enough time to evaluate, but that's all I can manage at the moment. I'll keep you posted. Pun intended.

Factual Update

update for the food list:

No more yogurt, no more chocolate chips. Too many variables, and the yogurt seemed to be hit or miss. Sad, because it was an easy source of protein.

No more paper towels from work. Made a pretty distinct connection. Didn't know there could be gluten in paper towels. Now I know.

Tried eggs for awhile. Seemed ok. Got another batch of them from a different store. Now I'm not sure. Back off of them.

Tried almonds, pecans, and raw sunflower seeds from Nuts Online. Seemed ok, but again, still having some problems. Back off them til I figure it out.

My dishwasher (4 months old) is making funny noises. More loud and grinding than funny, I guess, especially considering my dependence on it. I've been advised not to use it until the repair guy comes Friday. Sigh.

Good news, I started getting boxes of organic produce again. I also keep hoping that there is a chicken in my future.... if we can ever get a time coordinated to pick one up from our friend who raises chickens. Been trying for almost two months now.

Also tried the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Very interesting that there is a lot of literature supporting its use in various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (mostly UC). Nothing with Celiac specifically, but it is worth a shot, especially since I've been semi buying into the whole candida theory of late. I'm looking for another GF product for this, as buying Florastor is kicking my wallet in the gut. It seems to be helping, but I'm never sure due to the many variables I'm dealing with. Funny how I just happened across this stuff, I had never heard of it.

That's pretty much the update. I hope, someday, when I'm not spending every waking moment cooking boring, bland food, that I will post some fun things. Like ideas or recipes. But right now, I'm just working on getting better.

I'm trying...

I'm down to a pretty sparse list of foods at the moment. Funny how my husband is eating lots of fast food and losing weight. Anywho, here is my list for posterity.

Breakfast:

• coffee- just Great Value brand from Walmart, French roast and decaf mixed. Always promise myself to slowly increase the ratio of decaf to caff...
• sugar- 1 tsp., I forget the brand, something about Florida and it is the "natural" sugar stuff, whatever that really means...
• yogurt- Stonyfield Farm organic blueberry yogurt, GFCO certified. (Note: tried the vanilla flavor last weekend and started to feel symptoms within about 30 minutes... emailed the company but they didn't give me any useful info about their flavoring. Except that it does contain alcohol (didn't give source). No way!! Still recovering...)
• sometimes fruit

List of other foods from last few weeks:

• potatoes
• tomatoes
• cheese- Sargento sharp cheddar shredded or mozzarella string cheese. Tried shredded mozz last week on some pasta. Either the cheese or the ceramic dish I baked it in was a problem. Not fun.
  
• plain yogurt- Stonyfield
• butter- usually Meijer brand
• fresh or frozen salmon- Depends on where it is on sale...
• frozen tilapia- Meijer
• olive oil
• sea salt- Morton's and McCormick's
• garlic
• shallot
• broccoli
• asparagus
• green beans
• cucumbers
• avocado
• carrots
• fresh fruit
• salad mix of some sort, usually mixed greens or spinach, organic if on sale
• Tinkyada pasta- usually eaten as mac and cheese with sauce: butter, touch of milk, touch of pasta water, and Sargento cheese OR have recently been making pasta sauce from fresh tomatoes, garlic, shallots, EVOO, fresh basil, and sea salt
• Rice- lately seem to do better with white instead of brown (??), usually get Riceland brand
  
• Enjoy Life chocolate chips- straight out of the bag, can't seem to risk baking anymore
• All I ever drink is water besides my AM coffee.

Only other thing of which I partake are vitamins. I take vitamin D3 1000-2000 IUs daily and had been taking a multi on and off, both Freeda's. (Now going to be off due to what I think was a niacin-induced migraine yesterday... no other good explanation, was soon after normal food and decided to be "healthy" and take vitamin... Was horrible!!! Took a "nap" on the bathroom floor next to the waiting toilet, and thankfully went away after about 2 hours. Was supposed to be at lake in sun with friends. Epic fail.)

I find it very weird that my main source of protein is dairy. I would not have expected to be doing somewhat better with that as a large part of my diet. Would love to try nuts, but too scared. (Thought PB was ok, was wrong. Never did ask company if shared lines, etc. Should do.) Also beans. Have been burned too many times in the past. (To clarify, not the beans that burned, but me...)

What other sources of protein are possible?? With no chicken, beef, pork, eggs, legumes, nuts, or soy?

Might try ordering some nuts and beans online from places suggested on the Celiac.com forums. Too cheap at present, but might get up the nerve to shell out the cash once I've had enough with current hunger.

The Chicken Debacle

I'm a little bit of a wimp.

After weeks of being pescetarian, I decided to go to the farmer's market and get me some free-range, corn-fed yard bird to try. I had tried some a couple weeks back, but the results were basically inconclusive. I suspected there was another gluten culprit at the time.

I was planning my first foray into homemade chicken stock this weekend. Conventional grocery store chicken has been identified as problematic of late, so I had to go out of my way (after lots of internet research) to get some chicken that could possibly be ok.

So I go ask to buy a chicken, and (stupidly) say "Yes, I would like it cut up. Thank you." So the dude whips the chicken out of the cooler with his bare hand and slaps it up on the scale. No paper, no nothing. Tells, me what it weighs, I think ok, it is toward the end of the day, maybe he had already cleaned off the scale...

He proceeds to cut the chicken into pieces, again with bare hands, using a cutting board and knife that had just been sitting out on the counter. Not sure how long they had been there or what they were used on before (at this point, while writing this, I'm so ashamed of myself for keeping my mouth shut)

He dumps it into a plastic bag, then retrieves the outer bag for it, again, without washing his hands. I can only imagine the salmonella slime on that bag.

And I paid this man and said thank you. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??

I spent $7.00 on a chicken. That I can't eat. Heck, that people without cross-contamination issues shouldn't eat.

Ugh.

A word to the wise. The meek shall inherit expensive, possibly dirty chicken.

Blog Fail (and other assorted thoughts)

It's been awhile, I know.

If I want to give this blog thing a fair go, I need a little more commitment.

But all I do is cook. And clean up the kitchen. Then cook. Then clean. Then work. Then cook. Then clean. Then work...... you get the idea...

I've spent the last week or so being pescetarian. Funny enough, pretty much all meat is a problem. I'm looking into finding some more "natural" stuff, but it is taking awhile (ironic choice of the word natural, given my distaste for the myriad definitions of the word and ubiquitous use on food labels).

Have been doing better in general, but I had a sucky week on vacation. Not sure why exactly, but something about eating Larabars every day totally created a problem. Felt better after I stopped eating them! Scary though, they were one of my safe products! I'm still investigating why they are problematic. I need to get some for real GF nuts and make sure nuts are ok. But I don't trust nuts, been sick from them too many times. PB today was ok. Might order some from nutsonline.com, but it is so expensive with shipping! Maybe once Publisher's Clearing House comes with my check. Hey, a girl can dream.

I tried eating beans for some protein. Felt awful, not like you usually do with beans (if you catch my drift), but just felt sick and repulsed by the thought of eating more of them. And I love beans...

I've mentioned it before, but I really need to learn to trust my body a little more. If it tells me not to eat leftovers of something, or if something sounds disgusting, I need to NOT eat it.

Some days, I feel like I might be making progress. Other days, I lose the ability to hope that I will ever feel normal (using that term loosely). I'm still tired, still with DH, although the other stuff seems to wax and wane somewhat unpredictably. Drank some wine the other night, was sick for 3 days. Weird. Usually if I have sulfite issues, the sx are gone within hours, so I'm not sure what to think.

I've been living on potatoes, which seem to be the only thing I want to eat and settle my stomach. Until tonight, when they upset it. Ugh.

Peace out. I'm done trying to figure it out for now. Says the girl whose every waking thought (almost) is about figuring out what to eat...